good energy throughout, and the bands nails most every song...highlights include a very nice shakedown opener with funky vocal outro and jam...a 22 beat BIODTL, and jer scowling at bob as he jumped right into greatest story right after...to lay me down, always a rare treat

2nd set opener china->rider is one of my favorite all time versions with a transition that just explodes...tom thumb, another rare treat, and a roaring lovelight to send us home

I thought this tour was great.I think all hoopla leading up to the 9-24 benefit show w/special guests underrated the whole tour to all the celebs and all the other people who never saw a Dead show,and the fact that ,that particular show was pretty much a dud .Jerry lost his voice by the 24th,but 4 shows in Landover , 4 in Philly then 9 at the Garden.Most of these shows were good, and Jerry's voice was good up 'till the last few nights at MSG.IMO '81 and '88 are really underrated years.

Overall nice show for 1988, Good energy, good sound, good set list, always fun shake down, long intro beat on beat it on down-loved it, cassidy cool, funky estimated dear mr Fantasy>hey jude awesome as usual. Brokedown is lovely. As they say in the hood, IT"S ALL GOOD! how can you talk shit about this show.

Reviewer:simpleman971
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April 23, 2006 Subject:
first show

i was 16 and this was my first dead show ,,went with my girlfriend and her 2 older sisters hit about 50 more after this one ,,,ill never forget this one still have the ticket

Reviewer:jboyaquar
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February 3, 2006 Subject:
For two songs, who could ask for anymore?

1st Set: After six shows we finally are treated to a "Shakedown." Man, I could have heard that roar from Grand Central Station. The energy is giving me palpitations; it's been a long wait. Not every note is perfect but by the time they're vocalizing the outro (say about 8 minutes in) I'm sweatin. Great 'come and go' outro jamming that's so easy to get your funk on. For those keeping track this song is a 4 1/3 star monster. (those ratings are possible)let's keep ya movin say the men, "Minglewood" time. Crunchy when it needs to be (very late 3/early 4) heck even Bobby's slide solo sounds good tonight. I'm by myself at my office and having a great time. "Candyman" continues the quality streak but something in the concoction does not stir my blood. After a 22 1/3rd count, it's "BIDTL" time; jog in place if you must. Nice immediate segue into a really good-time "Greatest" Wade with the ripply Garcia and "Lay me Down" the lazy river. Straight-forward on the "Cassidy" as it weaves down a familiar path. Yep, "Deal" is breezy; I dig when Jerry calls us "children, take it slow" at 3:00..." It reaches brilliance once right around 5:30.

2nd Set: Taking a step in the crowd-pleasing direction - opening with "China" A bit of a meandering version; it's not negatory but they sound a bit tired during "Rider." Is this "Tom Thumb's" debut? Dylan's descriptive rumination on a working man's frustations via his grimy adventures..., it's appropriate that the song, if it did, debuts in NYC cause that's where the protagonist will return after the failure of his co-workers to stand in solidarity with him against 'Da Man.' This Dead's version lacks a bite. "Estimated" fairs a little better - the most impressive aspect Bobby's braying Na Na in order to ensure his voice becomes hoarse. As with the majority of "Eyes" this version is clunky. However, Bobby's rhythm work is sometimes deceptively tender. "Drums" is pretty standard though there's a nice gasp of air between it and "Space" which the musicians decide to fill it up with unpleasant sounds. "Miracle" is good enough. "Fantasy" and "Hey Jude" are both pretty mild save for Brent's contagious enthusiasm. "Lovelight" is a fluffy blow-out affair with a loose stop at the 5 minute mark but gets appreciably faster and faster til the no-frills end at 7:35

as usual, fall MSG show sounding perfect. the shakedown opener is rockin, jerry is feelin it. more energy than say 9/18, that was sluggish and rushed throughout I think. boys got a break and rested and this show cooks.

i havent downloaded this yet,but im doing so now.
i dont really care for the dead.but i was at this concert.20 year old new yorker in the middle of a kind of people i had never seen before, mostly barefoot wearing torn clothes.lol.
the band was great even if i've never heard thier music before.

oh...and the dancing the deadheads performed.
...cant be described in rational words.

For anyone who has heard Bob do his "Na na nahs" during Estimated they can appreciate the desire to cringe when he starts his "Crowing"!! THIS version is by FAR the most commical in that department. This version even inspired an idea for a cheesy compilation. A buddy and I were going to make a tape of these kinds of Bob moments and call it "Bob spit's the hits"!! He has absolutly become POSSESSED by something!! Aside from that the energy level here is GREAT!! I can't believe people don't mention THIS China> Rider when they talk about favorite post 70's versions!! The Rider is VERY full of energy! As for the parts that are always a fav live....well they just SHINE!! You all know.... the "Wish I was a headlight" part. The drummers are just whipping it UP!!!! Really well balanced mix with everyone sounding great!! We get a nice Tom Thumbs as well. I really like this version of Lovelight. Kind of sloppy in parts but as for energy level they ALL get an A for effort! For all you Rider fans AT LEAST stream this version and THEN come back for the rest of the show!! TOP NOTCH!!

I haven't downloaded this show so I can't review the quality of the board being offered. I've had audience tapes of this show since 9/88 and the 1st set is one I've listened to so many times. The Shakedown is great. The Candyman, esp. Jerry's guitar solo, is great. The BIODTL > Greatest Story is the highlight of the 1st set, possibly the whole show. Every time I heard BIODTL after this show, I was praying for a Greatest Story. When you hear how flawlessly they started the GSET after the BIODTL, you'll think these songs were meant to be paired like Scarlet > Fire, China > Rider, or Estimated Eyes.